We’ve been celebrating Christmas chez Midlifechic this week and it’s all been a bit hectic. I’m not sure if you remember that I was disappointed in December because the impact of Storm Desmond meant that my brother and his family changed their plans to come up from London so we didn’t see them. Anyway they arrived this week and we’ve had a lovely time. My nephews are 24 and 26 so it was a real treat to spend some time with them; they always give me an insight into my boys’ next stage. I really appreciate the fact that even though they’re living trendy Hoxton lives, they still find time for their family (for our international friends, Hoxton is the cool part of London – the place where all the hipsters live). So, it was a stupid time to say that I would do outfits of the week because every day I’ve had to dress quickly in order to keep on top of work / blog / usual stuff and guests. However here’s a run down.
Saturday was the day that we went to collect the eldest from university. I needed flat shoes because he lives on the top floor of his halls of residence and there is no lift. Never known to travel light, he brought home 6 bin bags of washing. For a boy who is known for his superior maths skills something has obviously gone wrong – he says he doesn’t do washing because it is too expensive so it seems that he simply buys new socks when he runs out. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we gave up counting when the 50th pair came out of the tumble dryer!
This pod is one of the spaces they have on campus for group work. There are a few of them in the woods and I think they’d be such a fab place to work.
Hobbs suede jacket (past season) Breton; Next relaxed skinny jeans (past season); silver metallic flash Stan Smiths; Russian rings necklace
On Sunday we had a lovely walk in the Lake District with my brother and family (Troutbeck if you’re wondering) followed by a lazy lunch.
White Company cashmere poncho (past season); White Company jersey top; Uniqlo grey ankle length jeans; Clarks grey over the knee suede boots (past season); White Company necklace (past season)
My family really don’t take my blog very seriously and the collected gang of nephews and sons were pulling faces at me through the window
Monday was a work day and I spent most of it in the office with Mr MC. These black cropped trousers are one of my wardrobe staples from Gap, they do them every winter and they’re in the sale at the moment. They’re washable with a high elastane content which means they don’t crease if you’re sitting at a computer all day.
Slim cropped pants; Boden Jumper (past season); Clarks heels (past season); Boden scarf (past season); Cos leather strap copper necklace (just seen)
Tuesday was a working from home day. I’m trying to stay relatively smart as I get into a new routine. I was under strict instructions from the teens in the house to tuck my shirt collar tips in – apparently having them over your collar is so 2015!
Inés de la Fressange @ Uniqlo jumper (past season); Inés de la Fressange @ Uniqlo shirt (past season); M&S coated jeggings (past season); Jigsaw Milly shoes (past season)
Wednesday was another office day and I was very distracted by all the survey results that started to come in from you all – thank you so much for your enthusiasm, it’s fascinating
Hush Nina cardigan (past season); Ashwin boat neck top; Bistro crops (still my favourites and in the sale); Boden pointed flats (similar here); Silk scarf from France years ago
Easter weekend offers
Various retailers seem to have different offers this weekend so I’ve picked out the best. First of all Finery. As you know, I’m keen to support Finery. I have no relationship with them but I like them for 3 reasons:
- They’re British
- They have reasonably priced clothing with an idiosyncratic style
- They’re led by 40 something midlife women like us
The code EASTER25 will give you 25% off between now and midnight on Saturday 26th March. This is what I’ve ordered with warmer weather in mind:
Lace detail long sleeve jersey top
I really love these leather slingback shoes but can’t justify buying them so I took them out of my basket
along with this origami fold dress which is an unusual colour but according to my chart it suits nearly all skin tones
I just wish they’d use some better lighting for their photography, it would make such a difference.
Next I’m moving on to Hush. The discount is only 10% (code EASTER16) but they so rarely do a discount that it is worth featuring, I notice you get a free bar of chocolate if you spend over £30 too. These are the pieces I’m thinking of ordering next month (in fact I already have them saved in a board). Knowing my luck they’ll be sold out by then but I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
I have the long sleeved version of this wrap top in blue, size down though, it comes up very big
This knit jacket would feel relaxed but look sophisticated and you could wear it with jeans and navy or black too.
I’ve been trying on my wide leg trousers again and they’re cooler for summer than skinnies
I haven’t tried Hush shoes but these ivory sandals look to be great quality
I love the clashing colours on this check scarf and it would add dissonance to an otherwise very classic outfit
The tonal pink of these sunglasses would finish the outfit off and make a change from black or tortoiseshell
Boden’s mid-season sale has started. I haven’t felt very excited by Boden this season, as you know I never wear pattern and the plain pieces that they launched just don’t seem to have moved on. Actually I think they’ve launched high summer too early, most of the clothes just make me shiver when I look at them at the moment. I ordered a few different things to try on ages ago – here are the rather poor photos I took to give you an idea (excuse the quality, they were not intended for my blog and were taken the day after I had my Coolsculpting so I wasn’t feeling great and my tummy was a bit swollen).
You need a very small frame for this top to look good, my shoulders are already quite wide and the big stripes and dropped seam made them look worse. It would look better with skinny trousers but the proportions still wouldn’t be right for me so I didn’t get changed. As you know, I wear trousers so often that I’m keen to give different cuts a try so I played about with the wide crops.
Drop shoulder breton, Richmond cropped trousers, Florence flat point shoes
I wanted to compare the Richmond wide crops with the Eton crops which are denim.
I then tried the Richmond crops again with the denim jersey top I’d ordered and these shoes which are exactly like the Whistles ones that have sold out, but a fraction of the price.
Denim jersey top; Richmond wide crop trouser; Showbiz heels
Here’s a side view of the Showbiz heels. They’re very comfortable, they aren’t leather but I don’t think that matters too much with patent.
And last of all here are the Whistles kick flares that I sent back because I decided the Warehouse ones were better value. Of course I now think I prefer the Whistles ones because they’re longer. Typical.
What did I keep? The Florence flat points, the Showbiz heels (you can see why I can’t justify the Finery ones), the denim jersey top (which is now in the sale) and that was it. Looking back I quite like the Richmond wide crops now but I think I’m going to order these 7/8 trousers (also in the sale) before I make up my mind. I hope that’s been helpful in some way. I’ve found that taking quick pictures like these really helps me to stop making mistakes because I see myself more clearly. I now do it with all of the clothes I order.
Finally Clarks have 20% off all full priced styles here if you use the code BUNNY plus free delivery and free returns, the offer ends on Monday.
So, Easter weekend is ahead and the school holidays. It will be the first time I’ve had more than a week off since last summer and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve set tomorrow aside for a Marie Kondo session in my dressing room. Shamefully I’m a terrible hoarder when it comes to clothes and I still haven’t had a clear out since starting this blog. It is bursting at the seams with things that don’t fit or simply don’t work.
Thank you again to everyone who has completed my reader survey. I know there were a few teething problems with iOS but I think we’ve solved them now. If you haven’t had chance and would like to take part I would be really grateful if you could complete it here. It should only take 5 minutes and it’s helping me to learn more about you and what you want to see on my blog. In the meantime have a very Happy Easter everyone and keep in touch.
If you’re looking for more new season inspiration here’s my last post on Spring fashion 2016
Disclaimer: none of the content in this post is sponsored
